Reason for Interest in C2C 

There is a dire need in the Israeli educational system for a program addressing the significant burnout rate of teachers as well as the dropout of new teachers (over 25%) within the first years. Furthermore, the steady increase in bullying prevalence and the negative attitudes toward the “other” which are probably fueled by the intractable conflict in the Middle East attest to the importance of a school-based compassion program based on the framework of “Call To Care” (CTC). Such a program is essential in order to survive and to maintain the democratic values of our society. The Israeli program is called Lev Rachav – A program for tolerance and Compassion for Self and Others (LR) and involves teachers, students and parents in an ecological model. 

Project Participants 

  • (Lead) Ben-Gurion University of the Negev 

Project Duration 

  • August 2014 to August 2015 

Where Located 

  • Beersheba, Israel 

Pilot Testing Scale

  • # Schools: 2 
    • One in Tel Aviv, one in Rishon L’Tzion, both schools are public schools of mid-size serving middle class residents. 
  • # Teachers: 62 
  • #Students: 500 (grades 3, 4, 5)

Objectives Following Successful Pilot Testing 

  • To train all the Israeli teachers in the program and to prevent the high percentage of teachers’ burnout (30% of attrition in the first year and 50% after 5 years) 
  • To train as many teachers as we can to implement the program in the Israeli educational system 
  • To create a center that trains trainers of the program and then train teachers to deliver it. 
  • To translate the program into Arabic and train Arab teachers 
  • To write the Hebrew manuals of Lev Rahav (a culturally adapted C2C) based on our experience and the empirical data.
Israel team pilot testing with students.